New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldives President Mohammad Muizu on Friday interacted to fulfill bilateral relations, which was tense after the 2023 “India Out” campaign and the abusive remarks made by the Maldivian officials against PM Modi next year led to a diplomatic controversy.The two leaders also discussed cooperation in trade, defense and infrastructure. India also announced to hand over 72 vehicles and other equipment to the Maldivian Ministry of Defense.In his address, PM Modi said, “This year, India and Maldives are also celebrating 60 years of their diplomatic relations. But the roots of our relations are more older than history and deep like the sea. The memorial tickets released today display the traditional boats of the two countries. It indicates that we are not only neighboring, but also co-priests. , Muizu, widely seen as a supporter China, came to power in the nation after leading the “India Out” campaign in November 2023. However, he later denied any such agenda, stating that the island nation had a “serious problem” with the presence of the foreign army on its soil.In the early months of his presidency, Muizu’s policies led to a sharp decline in bilateral relations. Just hours after taking the oath, he called for the return of Indian military personnel from Maldives. In response, India replaced him with civilian employees. Indian personnel were deployed there to operate and maintain two helicopters and an aircraft was mainly used for humanitarian aid and rescue missions.It is widely believed that economic support for New Delhi’s continuous diplomatic outreach and Maldives played an important role in restoring relations. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Tuesday, “We have continued to work on it, and I think this result is for you.” As one of the major marine neighbors of India in the Indian Ocean region, Maldives has observed continuously growing cooperation with India – especially in defense and security – under previous administration in men.
